A rider of a wakeboard is conventionally connected to the wakeboard by bindings that secure the feet of the rider within a padded underlay supported by an overlay. The overlay conventionally includes straps that wrap behind and in front of the foot to support the ankle of a rider. The straps are also conventionally secured to a base plate that is connected to the wakeboard. To ensure that a rider is not inadvertently ejected from the wakeboard bindings, the overlay is usually secured rather tightly. Thus, significant exertion is usually required to force the rider's feet into the bindings, often requiring uncomfortable contortions, application of lubricant, and significant force, generally while the rider is in the water with the wakeboard. This maneuvering can be especially difficult for new and inexperienced riders. Some bindings include releasable closures for the overlay straps, such as buckles, laces, or ties. While generally enabling a rider to enter the bindings with less exertion, the rider must still perform the fine motor movements required to secure the releasable closures, which may be difficult while in the water and may be particularly difficult in cold water. In addition, riders may inadvertently secure the releasable closures in a way that is looser than intended or recommended, which may cause injury to the rider due to loss of connection with and control of the wakeboard. Conversely, riders may inadvertently secure the releasable closure in a way that is tighter than intended or recommended, which may cause considerable discomfort while riding, even to the point of rendering the ride unsafe. The risk of unintentionally placing the bindings on a rider's feet in a way that is uncomfortable or dangerous may be particularly high in the case of new and inexperienced riders, due to their unfamiliarity with the bindings, inexperience with safe and desirable degrees of tightness, and discomfort in the water.
To accommodate riders that employ differing stances on the wakeboard comfortably, the base plate is conventionally formed of at least two pieces: a first piece that is fixedly secured to the wakeboard and another piece that is adjustably rotatable through various angular positions with respect to the first piece. This angular adjustment is conventionally performed when attaching the bindings to the wakeboard, a process that conventionally involves selecting a desired angular position for the binding and screwing or bolting the first piece to the wakeboard to fixedly secure the other piece in that angular position. Thus, a rider who wishes to adjust the angular positioning of conventional bindings to accommodate a different stance must remove his or her feet from the bindings, remove the bindings from the wakeboard, rotate the pieces of the bindings relative to one another, re-secure the bindings to the wakeboard, replace his or her feet in the bindings, and resume riding.